Castellino del Biferno: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Campobasso, Molise. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in Castellino del Biferno
The report looks at the exact point: landslide and flood risk, seismic zone, price per square metre for the area, services and nearby stops.
For example: Via delle Grazie 1, Castellino del Biferno.
Castellino del Biferno, a Molise hill village above the river
The name gives the location away: Castellino del Biferno stands on a rise overlooking the valley of the Biferno, Molise's main river, in the part of the province of Campobasso that drops towards lower Molise. The village is at around 450 metres, with its old core gathered at the top and fields of cereals, olives and vines on the slopes. Campobasso, for work, hospitals and offices, is reached by car.
The population has fallen sharply: in 2023 there were 421 residents, 168 fewer than the 589 of 2011, a drop of 28.5%. The estimated average age is 51.6, against 47.6 for the province, and over-65s make up 33.7%. Foreign residents account for 7.8%. Declared incomes are below the provincial average.
For buyers, this means a market with plenty of village houses needing work and few recent buildings. Before signing, get the house's history straight: inheritance transfers, any extensions, and whether what you see matches what the land registry shows. Then have a surveyor look at the roof, floors and services. The report measures the distance from the address to the nearest pharmacy and shops.
Molise has a mixed earthquake classification: in the province of Campobasso 11 municipalities are in zone 1, the most severe class in the national scheme run by the Civil Protection Department, 64 in zone 2 and 9 in zone 3. Castellino del Biferno is in zone 2, with an expected ground acceleration in the built-up area of about 0.212 g. For a masonry house, ask what structural work has been done and under which permits.
The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) cadastral maps are published, so the report traces the address back to its land parcel. For plots on clay slopes or near the river, landslides and flooding are checked on the official maps.
Key points
- Hill village above the Biferno valley, province of Campobasso.
- Population down 28.5% since 2011, now 421.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.212 g.
- Village houses needing work: check inheritance papers and the registry.
Overview
Castellino del Biferno is a municipality in the province of Campobasso, in Molise. At the end of 2023 it had 421 residents, ranked 72 of 84 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Castellino del Biferno is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (64 of 84) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.212 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Castellino del Biferno, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.
Population
Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 28.5%. The estimated average age is 52 years, higher than the province average (48). 34% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 27%). Foreign residents make up 7.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.0 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Castellino del Biferno declared an average taxable income of 14,143 euros, below the provincial average (19,995 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Castellino del Biferno is in climate zone D, with 1,916 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 November to 15 April, for up to 12 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 450 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Castellino del Biferno has 1 pharmacy.
The data shows no schools within the municipality, against a provincial average of 1.2 per 1,000 residents.
Public transport
We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.
How built-up it is
Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 2.9% of the land in Castellino del Biferno, compared with 4.3% in the province and 4.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is low. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.
Official databases list no contaminated sites in Castellino del Biferno.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Castellino del Biferno: the report checks the address against the ISPRA maps.
House prices
The Revenue Agency's price ranges per square metre (OMI) apply to zones, not to whole municipalities: the report gives the range for the address's zone.
Land registry
The cadastral maps for Castellino del Biferno are public: from the address the report finds the sheet and parcel number.
Liveability area by area
The Vicinalia liveability index runs from 0 to 100 and looks at the place, not the people who live there: services within walking distance, transport, green space, natural hazards, air, quiet, buildings and connection. Here it is worked out at the centre of each of the 3 inhabited census areas in Castellino del Biferno. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 60 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 100.0%
Vicinalia index by census area, licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Data: IdroGEO ISPRA (2026), Istat, INGV, EEA, AGCOM, Overture Maps and OpenStreetMap.
The colour is the value at the centre of the area. For an exact address, search for it above: the free check looks at that exact point. How the index is worked out
Data sources
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 070014. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.